Shattered Crystals
by Coriana
Summary: A collection of short stories for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Complete.
1. When Layle and Blaze first met

"Layle and Blaze First Meet"

Word Count: 567

* * *

When Layle walked into the dusty store, the first thing that met his eyes was a rat scurrying around the corner and into a hole.

The shelves and tables were littered with candles and books; there was also a swinging chalice and an hourglass. What looked sickeningly like lizard heads sat in a jar at the end of one of the tables.

"If you don't have business here, you don't belong," said a raspy voice that seemly came out of nowhere. Layle jumped slightly, he had not noticed the man behind the counter before.

He had frizzy yellow hair that stuck out in odd lumps, a wicked scar ravaged the right side of his face; and in place of the missing eye was a pulsing orange rock. A Crystal.

"Like I just said, get out of here city-slicker!" The man got up, his crystal eye glowing dangerously.

Layle shrugged, "Just checking out the stores, calm down." Layle turned towards the door, and even through the grimy windows, the metallic crystal on his cheek glinted from the morning sun. He started towards the door.

"H-hold on!" The man yelled "You're a Crystal Bearer, aren't you?" The man stepped out from behind the counter; he wore a dark green robe. "Awful young for such a strong title," he stepped closer.

"Now listen, Sir Leroy," Layle started.

"DO NOT CALL ME LEROY!" The man nearly exploded, the crystal eye shined brightly. "The name is Blaze!" Spittle flew from his mouth, "and do you know why? It's because of this!"

His hands started to glow orange; Layle had only five seconds to react before a fireball was thrown at him. Tossing his hands up, he grabbed at his own power, manipulating the air around him to stop and vanquish the fireball, making a slight explosion.

The left over flakes of fire drifted around them, landing on the floor and tables. Blaze watched as one landed on a dark red book and started smoldering a hole into it.

"So that's your power. Air?"

"Gravity, to be precise."

"Are they different?"

"Hmmmm…"

"Sounds like a girls' power."

Layle glared, offended, "It stopped you, didn't it?"

Blaze let out a barking laugh, "You think that's the extent of my power? That was a miniscule fireball compared to some I've made. Maybe you'd like to go outside and have a real duel?" The eye glinted.

"No," Layle said hastily. "We'll leave it at that…" He went to open the door again.

"Wait, kid," Blaze grunted. "You're not very strong, are you? You look kind of like a wandering pick-pocketer. Where you from? You're a Clavat, right?"

"Those questions are none of your business," Layle said.

"They might not be, but I can help you enhance your powers."

Layle stopped with the door half open, "How can you do that?"

"Stick with me, kid, and I'll teach you everything about being a Bearer. I'm sure you've never had anyone who understood you're pleas, problems and questions about being a Bearer, right? But because we're one of the same, become my apprentice and I'll teach you all there is to know."

Layle hesitated; he could see the sun high over the buildings now.

"What's your name?"

"Layle…"

"Become my partner, Layle, and you'll never have to steal and beg again."

Layle looked out the door the last time; the chocobos watched him from the stable that was across the street.

He shut the door.


	2. Messing up Vaigali's Name

Messing Up Vaigali's Name

Word Count:Word Count: 302

* * *

"So, how do you like the Guild? Once you learn how to walk on the boat it's not that bad," Louis said.

"Yeah," said Chris, "The way it was tilted I thought I was going to lose my footing."

They climbed down one of the rope-ladders and Louis wolf-whistled at one of the skimpily dressed Selkie woman. Her hair was a dark red and cut short and sassy. She gave them a smile.

"Good to be a Guild member, huh?" He grinned.

"Yeah, good so far," he paused, "Though, I heard that the Guildmaster is a big scary guy…?"

Louis looked at him, "Vaigali? No. Well. Maybe. But he's a great Guildmaster, I respect him."

Chris blinked and looked at him dumbly. _Did I hear what I thought I heard?_

"What?" Louis said.

"Ummmm…"

Louis scooted away from him as if he might throw up, "Anyway, fair guy. Always listens to both sides. Unless you're an Onion." They both laughed briefly.

"Well," said Louis, "The Guild meeting will start in a few, so we better get going."

They headed to the ship, walking carefully down the steep walk ways, then came to the center of the ship, which was actually quite straight.

"Oh," said Louis, "The meeting has already started. Come on!" They ran to and up the staircase on the left side.

When they got there, the Guild master was giving a bag of gil to a female member. When he saw them he waved them over and stood up.

"This is," his rough, booming voice echoed in the ship's hull, "our newest member, Chris."

There was a smattering of applause.

Chris came up and slapped him on the back, "How're you doing ByGolly?"

Vaigali turned his head slowly.

The last thing Chris saw before he blacked out was Vaigali's fist.


	3. Food Documentary

Food Documentary

Prompt: 059 - Food

Word Count: 430

* * *

"Hey….hey, kupo, is my pom-pom okay?"

"Yeah! It looks really nice! What'd you do?"

"Just styled it a bit with some gel that the Selkies gave me. Glad you like it!"

"Well, all right. Are you ready?"

"Yep! Role the camera!"

*.*

"Hello, folks. Today, on Moogle Wonders we're going to view the four tribes' eating habits. Now, the four Tribes:

"The Clavat – That's pronounced: "Claw" with a hard "Aw" sound. And "vad" also giving the 'a' an "Aw' sound. Don't ask me why it's spelled like that.

"The Selkie – 'Sell' 'CK' 'E'. And it is 'Sell', it's not pronounced "Silkie."

"The Lility – 'Lil' (as in 'Lily'), 'it' 'ee'.

"And the Yuke – Uh…. 'Rhymes with 'Duke'."

*.*

"Moving on.

"The Clavats are a calm race; they love the Earth and love to farm. They enjoy crisp, fresh vegetables and sweet fruit. They love making sweet treats with the fruit: Pies, crisps, and jams. They like cold milk from their cows and fresh spring water. Their intake on meat is low, for they don't enjoy killing their animals. The meat consumption is mostly done in the winter, where vegetables and fruits aren't available; the meat in the summer consists of freshly caught and grilled fish.

*.*

"Selkies have a very rich diet of meats: Fish, poultry, beef and rabbit always seem to be on their plates. But they still hold a taste for their fruits and veggies. Selkies don't seem to have a very strong sweet tooth, they like sour and spicy. Kumquats seem to be a favorite of theirs. Water and wine are on top of their drinking list."

*.*

"Lilities like their aged wine and delicate food. They seem to like the perfection of their food. They're willing to try anything as long as it was finely prepared. Their salads must be tossed and their fish must be breaded before baked. Deserts must be fluffy and light after the filling meal. Aged wine is a favorite amongst the Lilities. It is present with the many balls and parties the Lilities host. It must have a fine, sweet and tangy taste to it.

*.*

"Yukes…Their diet seem to consist of dust particles and water in the air."

*.*

"AND moogles. We like to snack on flower petals (But not too many, as not to hurt the flower) and dewdrops. And we have a certain fondness for carrots, so whenever you travel to Moogle Town, carry a couple carrots for us please, kupo.

*.*

"Thank you for watching this episode of Moogle Wonders."

*.*

"How was that?"

"It was great, kupo!..."


	4. Cid

Cid

Word Count: 532

* * *

Cid stood up with a heavy groan. The old body didn't move like it use too.

He wiped his hands on an oily gray cloth that was stuck in his back-pocket. He flicked the small eyeshades on his glasses open, letting the sun fall onto his old face.

Sighing, he walked behind his desk, pulling out a piece of paper and pen. He wrote a quick letter to his customer, saying that the small radio had been fixed and was ready for him to pick it up. Folding the letter, he got a strip of tape and sealed the paper. Walking back to the large front door, he opened a small side window. The wind was starting to get crisp. He grimaced. Winter was coming.

"Hey, mail moogle!" He called lightly to the moogle named Oog. The little thing perked up and ran over to him.

"Send this to the guy that was here earlier. Brown hair, Clavat."

The moogle chirped, "At your service, kupo!"

Cid watched the little moogle fly away, and then he watched the garbage moogles come and pick up the bagged plastic.

Cid chuckled, "If we're not careful, moogles will take over the world," he smiled at the thought.

Walking back into the shop, a sudden gloominess enveloped him. The place suddenly felt dark and cold. Lonely.

Cid walked carefully into the back of the workshop. He looked up at the large portrait of him at his wedding. He smiled, "I use to be pretty good-looking." His smiled dimmed.

"Oh, Mhira…If only you were here..." He lifted his hand and carefully brushed Mhira's white wedding dress. Her round, happy face stared up from the painting. Her yellowish, pick hair was done up in beautiful curls and waves.

"Maybe things would have been different if I didn't hide. If I had been there. I only realized that when you were almost gone…"

Cid walked back to his desk. The first years were glorious, fun and exciting. When Mhira had found out she was pregnant, it was a peaceful and joyful nine months. But when Mhira went into labor, something had gone wrong. It was hard, painful and ungodly long. When it was finally over, the child was a stillbirth.

This had devastated both of them. Cid had withdrawn into his own work, working tirelessly on the Crystal Reactors that had been his project for the last year. At times, he wouldn't come home for dinner and often slept at his workshop.

He had left Mhira alone. And before he knew what had happened, Mhira had gotten sick. She died six months later, three months after the completion of the Crystal Reactors. On her deathbed, she said she was sorry about the baby.

Drawn out of his home by the fame of the Crystal Reactors, it was impossible for him to curl up in a hole and weep away his pain. Slowly, he withdrew from that life the he had always dreamed of, and resided in the silent Slums of Bridge Town. Nursing wounds that he had never healed.

Quietly, Cid sat down in his chair. The success of the Steam Engines bringing back long ago buried memories.

"I'm sorry, Mhira…"


	5. Keiss and Layle's First Meeting

Layle and Keiss First Meet

Word Count: 638

* * *

Layle held the small map in his hands, it was the last time he would ever borrow something from a moogle again. He tilted the piece of paper to one side; did he have it upside-down?

Being so engrossed in trying to decipher the map, he nearly ran into a tree. Stopping, he wondered briefly if he could maybe remove it from his way. Deciding that it would be less work to go around, he circled the tree, then preceded to trip over a pail of apples.

"Oops," Layle sighed, grabbing his power, he used it to pick up the pail and placed the apples gently back inside it. The silver crystal on his cheek gleamed.

"Whoa," said the tree.

Layle had just been walking away; he stopped, slowly turning around. He looked at the tree questionably.

"You a Crystal Bearer?" Much to the relief of Layle's mental health, he looked up to see a man crouched in the branches of the tree.

"Yeah, you have a point?"

"Just a question," said the man. The Selkie, actually.

The Selkie slipped out of the tree, landing on his feet as silently as a cat. "You lost?" He said, tilting his head towards the map. He had shoulder length red hair, a dark blue bandana kept it tied out of his face. He was Selkie-slender with dark pants and a dark brown shirt.

"I'm looking for Red Leaf Forest; I need to deliver a letter at the Snowfield Monastery."

"That's why moogles are here," he said simply, then he smiled "You're going the wrong way, mate."

Layle rolled his eyes. Damn.

"So, uh, what can you do? With your Crystal power, I mean,"

"I can manipulate air and gravity," He thought momentarily of throwing the Selkie to show him how.

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"Hmmmm…" Layle said, "You know, you're the first person I've met in a while who's not run away screaming when they realized what I was."

The Selkie shrugged his shoulders, "Crystal Bearers are more interesting then your normal-day Clavat."

"I'm glad I could amuse you. I must be going now," Layle turned and started to walk back the way he came.

"Hold up!" Called the Selkie, "If you can manipulate air, can't you fly?" The question sounded almost accusatory.

Layle looked back at the Selkie that was trailing him. "It can be…tiring, after a time."

"So you can fly?"

"Yes, in a way."

"That's so cool!" The Selkie gave a wide mouth grin. Maybe Layle preferred when people ran away.

"It's this way," the Selkie pointed down a slope. A couple people and their chocobos were sitting by the cliff, having lunch.

"Thank you for your help, but I can take it from here," Layle lifted his hand in a still-wave goodbye.

"Hey!" Called the Selkie, "I can fly you; my plane is just out back. But if you'd rather walk, that's fine. But I have an escort business, so, it's what I do."

"Ah," said Layle, it all coming clear now. "That's what you're getting at. My wallet is empty, sorry Selkie."

The Selkie smirked, "Eh, I have enough money. But chances are that I was already flying there in a couple of hours. I could fly you…Free of charge."

This wasn't very Selkie like. "What's the catch?"

"Well…" The Selkie looked like he was going for the plunge. "Sometimes you need more then one warrior for an Escort. And isn't a Crystal Bearer an ideal choice…also for a Bearer, you guy's can't find work that easy, can you?"

"You're pretty gutsy, Selkie."

"I've been told so before," The Selkie shrugged. "What's your name?" The Selkie extended a hand.

"Layle," he said, taking it.

"I'm Keiss."

"So," Layle grunted, "I get half the pay cut, no less."

"Only if you do your job, Crystal Bearer."


	6. Blaze

Blaze

Word Count: 727

* * *

Layle tried to pick up the burnt book, but it only proceeded to crumble into a couple more pieces.

Groaning, Layle straightened from his stooping position. Glancing around quickly, he used his power to sweep up the ashes and place it into a bag.

"If I see you do that again, I'll burn the hair off your head."

Layle jumped, nearly dropping the bag of book ash. He turned to look at his mentor, the man who made his life more miserable then before.

"If I can never use my power how exactly are you teaching me?" Layle challenged.

"You've gotten more powerful, haven't you?" Blaze said, walking pass Layle and grabbing a bottle of liquor that was on the shelf.

Layle knew that he had gotten stronger, but he wasn't too sure if it was Blazes' doing, It was more likely age.

"Listen, Layle, you're lucky that I found you as young as you were, before someone else did." Blaze took a large swig of the liquor. Layle scrunched his nose. He could smell it from where he was standing on the other side of the room.

Layle had just turned sixteen; he had been under Blaze's mentorship for two years now. He couldn't leave until he was seventeen. One year left.

Layle knew from experience that Blaze couldn't take strong drinks. He watched as the other Bearer took another long swallow.

"You have it easy, Layle," Blaze's eye was slightly unfocused. "You didn't have to go through the pain that I had to go through!"

Layle snorted, he had gone through his own share of mental pain. Most of it had come from Blaze.

Blaze finished the small bottle and groped for another one. "You see this scar?" He stammered, "You know how I got it?"

Layle did not. He had never dared ask.

"It was just like any other day; I was coming home from another day of wretched school. I had stayed late that day, because my father had come home early and I could never stand watching him beat mother. So I walked slowly home…. It was dark; the only light on the street was from the streetlamps. I made a wrong turn and ran into an old man. The man looked at me once, saw my thin body and decrepit clothes and he said, 'want to be a Bearer, Son?' He was holding something in his hand.

"Having never seen a Crystal Bearer before, I thought they had the life. With their powers, they could do anything. So I said, 'sure I do.' I regret those words to this very day."

Blaze stumbled back into a bookshelf that was behind him, sloshing liquor onto him.

"Then what happened? He ran at me and grabbed my face in his hand. And with his thumb, he gouged my eye out."

Blaze lifted his hand up and shakily touched his right, crystal eye. His voice was a harsh whisper.

"With the crystal he had had in his other hand; he shoved it into my empty eye-socket, and then pushed me back. I fell on onto the street.

"I clawed at my face, trying desperately to take out the thing that from then on was forever a part of me. I fell asleep, certain I would die. Hoping I would die."

Blaze's face had fallen slack, words slightly slurred.

"When I awoke, it was still dark; I crawled away from the cruel, wicked world… In the morning I was in a cave and I had the power that I still have to this day. I never went back to that life with my parents; I trained with my Crystal Power, setting fire, controlling it, making explosions… Ten years later, I ran into the same guy that had changed my life. He was happy to see me alive, excited to see that it had actually worked…Do you know what I did?"

Layle was silent.

"I killed him," Blaze breathed, "I killed him for making me his experiment."

Tears slowly started to fall down Blaze's face. "Get out of here…" He hissed.

Layle was stuck.

"I said get out of here, kid!" Blaze weakly threw the empty bottle at Layle, missing. Slowly, he fell to the ground, weeping.

Layle, like a ghost, slipped out of the room, shutting the door.

One year left.


	7. Escort Plus 1

Escort +1

Word Count: 348

* * *

Jegran fingered the small pile of papers he had on his desk. The top one appealed to him the most. It was a Selkie and his partner; it was the only Selkie one that he had from the twenty-five entries. They seemed reliable, yet simple. Just in case the need arose to dispose of them.

He plucked the top paper of the pile, and headed down the hall.

And of course, like she was being timed, Althea came around the corner. She stared at Jegran with a disgusted look on her face.

"You did not report back this morning; I assume that everything is going smoothly? The Alexis is supposed to leave the day after tomorrow and have you even applied for an escort?"

Jegran walked right past her, "Do not worry, Princess. Everything is going as planned."

Althea followed him, obviously not trusting. "…I do not want any delay, Jegran. It has been delayed for too long, and I –"

"Princess," Jegran's words were in his normal tone, but they felt sharper. "I do have this all under my control. Do not fret. The great Alexis will be in port day of. Now, I suggest you go play teaparty with the council, we missed you last night."

Jegran turned and slowly made his way down the hall. He could feel Althea's eyes trying to burn a hole into his head.

Jegran made his way through the garden, a butterfly gently fluttered by his face. If he hadn't been holding the Escort entry, he would have squashed it.

He did a double check on the letter before handing it to the moogle.

'_Agreed to_… Escort service from Selkie and Clavat…Keiss +1.'

*.*

Meanwhile…

*.*

Belle carefully slipped out the castle garden. She had been hiding skillfully behind a pillar when the princess and her High Commander were arguing. She smiled slyly to herself. "I think the Alexis needs someone to professionally go through it, not a coin must be missed." She pulled a camera out of her hipbag.

"When you can't go as a Treasure Hunter, go as a photographer."


	8. Keiss

Keiss

Word Count: 755

* * *

Keiss carefully eased down the rope-ladder, the sun had just begun to rise, but he had been up long before.

Selkies had started to slowly file out from the main cave entrance. Walking either groggily from sleep or running with the excitement of the new day.

Keiss stretched and yawned, folding his hands behind his head. He watched the sun rise over the ocean.

Hope of Layle coming back had dwindled to almost zero. Belle's hopes were still high, though. Almost annoying so. He had never gotten around to asking what Layle owed her.

"Keiss."

Keiss looked over his shoulder to see the older (so he claimed) twin brother. His short, bright red hair was ruffled. A bright blue shirt clashed with his hair. Presumably on purpose.

Dayfer (he thought) handed him the small stack of reports from the Selkies. The Guildmaster had to be kept updated.

"Thanks, Dayfer," he said, scanning the first page.

The twin sighed, "Its Cayfer."

"Oops…" Keiss said, thumbing through the reports. That meant this was the younger twin. Cayfer walked away, climbing back down another ladder.

Keiss read as he walked back down to the main room in the ship.

A letter from Althea asking if there was any word from Layle (she asked once a month) and if he had heard anything about the sightings of the water serpent at Cape Mika. He hadn't.

A report on a new mineral that was being unearthed by the Yukes.

…And one on how rainbow grapes seemed to be better for you then stripped apples…

A letter from Belle…he skipped over that one.

And one from Cid, talking about an odd moogle that was sitting outside his door singing Christmas carols just because it said it could.

Keiss looked up to find himself in the main hull of the ship, he walked up the staircase. He set the papers down on the large wooden table, sitting on the table as well. It had never felt right sitting in Vaigali's sofa. He had sat on the armrest; he sometimes sat on the edge of it. But he had never actually sat in it.

"Hey, Keiss," Cayfer said, coming up the staircase, "Did Raitini tell you about the message we found in a bottle? Something about he has our treasure and we'll never find it again?"

"Probably directed at Vaigali," Keiss said, standing.

"It looked old."

"Then maybe the Guildmaster before him."

"That would be Talvor?"

"Yep. I'll ask Raitini for the letter later. Thanks, Cayfer."

The twin rolled his eyes. "Notice the shirt!" Then Keiss saw that the shirt was a vibrant green instead of blue, it clashed worse against his bright red hair. He looked slightly like a Christmas tree…

"Cayfer always wears blue, I wear green."

Keiss stared at him. Now they tell me! He can't believe he had never noticed. He then decided, as he watched Cayfer leave, that now that they told him this, they'll be having fun switching their shirts back and forth. He'll never know who's who again.

"Hey, Raitini!" Keiss called over the railing to a girl with dark, nearly black, red hair. She wore a mini skirt and mid-thigh length boots. Her black shirt was tight and low-cut.

"What's this about a sea serpent in Cape Mika?"

She tilted her head. "There's a sea serpent in Cape Mika? I'll have to go check that out."

"Never mind."

"Did Cayfer tell you about the message in the bottle?"

Keiss blinked, "I thought it was Dayfer…"

She looked confused, "I'm pretty sure I told Cayfer."

"You probably did," Keiss rolled his eyes. Did that mean he had been talking to Cayfer all morning?

"HEY KEISS!" Came an all too familiar voice echoing from the hall.

"Oh, no," he said.

"Keiss!" Belle yelled as she ran into the main room. "I just can't believe it! I told you we shouldn't give up!"

Keiss watched her, still leaning over the railing, "What?"

She was startled, "What! You can at least give me some praise! None of your Guild Members found it! No offense," she added to Raitini, who was still standing there.

"Found what?" He felt like he was missing something. And was going to feel real stupid when she told him.

"You didn't read my letter, did you?" Her eyes narrowed.

Keiss' mind flickered to the letter that was on the desk behind him.

"Well," she said, "If I need to give it to you like a Guild spy, I think I deserve some gil."

"Belle," he growled.

"Fine," she said, flicking her hair, then, "I found Layle."


	9. Meeting Another Crystal Bearer

Layle

Word Count: 404

* * *

Layle walked along the riverside path, it was dark, now. The stars were an enormous sparkling blanket that covered the night sky. The moon was large tonight; it was the full moonstone against the glittering beads. Layle was reminded how small he actually was.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew at him, the wind was frigid, an odd thing on such a warm night. The wind chilled him.

Stopping, Layle looked around quickly, walking slower. He latched onto his power, though nothing caught his eye. He chuckled to himself for being so paranoid.

Almost teasingly, he felt the breeze again.

Layle could see a man sitting at the base of the old land-mark tree. The wind chimes that cover it twinkled slightly.

The man at the tree was staring at his bare hands. Layle caught a spark of something and realized what was going on.

Layle walked up the hill and came to stand beside the man, "New to this, aren't you?"

The man looked up, startled. His long brown hair hung in his face, his nose was slightly larger than average, but his face had the softer look of a Clavat to it. Cloudy blue eyes looked up at Layle in awe.

"I-I've been in this for five months…" The Clavat whispered. He glanced at Layle. "Is it always like this? People you thought you knew…turning their backs on you…"

Layle crouched beside him, "I was one at birth, so I couldn't tell you. But I will tell you that the friends that you make now, will be true friends. Not acquaintances."

The Clavat flexed his hands unconsciously; a shimmering light in the palm of his left hand reflected the starlight.

"What can you do?" Layle asked, "Besides make cold winds."

The Clavat gave a hint of a smile. "I can control the cold. He tilted his head at Layle. "What about you?"

"I can control gravity."

The man pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them; he rested his head on his knees. "Cool," he paused, "Does it ever get easier?"

"Maybe," replied Layle, "only if you learn to accept it. Otherwise, the power you were given will be wasted like it has been before."

"How does the Crystal choose?"

"No one really knows. Nor will we ever, I think."

Layle stood back up. He started back on his way.

He called over his shoulder, "…Don't give up, Crystal Bearer."


	10. Day in Life of a Crystal Bearer

**We are Moogle Wonders.**

"Today we are going to do our most exciting—and daring—episode we've ever done.

"We Present — Moogle Wonders: A Day in Life of a Crystal Bearer…"

* * *

We enter the scene with two moogles following around a blonde-haired, yellow jacketed person. One moogle is carrying a large camera, and the other has a small microphone, the camera moogle gets irritatingly close to the Bearer.

"Would you get that thing out of my face," Layle said, swatting at the furry moogle flying in front of him.

"Hey, watch it, kupo. This camera is expensive."

"And I swear I'll throw it half-way across the land if you don't stop bumping into me with it."

"Crystal Bearers are grumpy by trait, kupos, but this one seems uncommonly so…" The microphone moogle hovered over Layle's head, grazing Layle's hair just enough to make it tickle.

"Go," Layle snapped, waving his hands over his head.

"If you'd just be quiet and let us do the documentation, this wouldn't be such a big deal, kupo. Just act like you're in your natural habitat, kupo."

"Would you—" Layle waved his hands at the moogle who had just run into his nose with the camera.

"Careful of the camera, kupo."

"Careful of my nose, moogle."

The microphone moogle tried to continue, "Crystal Bearers are skeptical and dangerous—"

"GET OUT OF MY FACE!" Layle swung his hands and the little camera moogle went rocketing across the sky.

There was a long silence as the microphone moogle and Layle eyed each other.

"Are we done now?" Layle asked.

"And there you have it, kupos! The Bearers powers are extraordi—"

And the little microphone moogle, too, went careening across the sky.

*.*

"Cut, kupo!"

"That was gruesome, kupo, are you sure we want to air that?"

"We have to, kupo, we said at the end of the last episode that we were going to review a Crystal Bearer, kupo."

"Well, I guess we shouldn't do that anymore, right kupo?"

"Too late. We already said that we would be reviewing the new Guildmaster in the next episode."


	11. We Are Moogle Wonders

**We Are Moogle Wonders:**

**Today we present the awaiting episode, 'Interviewing the Newest Guildmaster'."**

* * *

"Can't you like, I don't know, kupo, look tougher?"

Keiss furrowed his eyebrows and glared at the camera moogle.

"That's better! Much better, kupo. I mean, you can't help it can you? I mean looking wimpy, kupo."

"Today," The other moogle announced into his microphone, "We are interviewing the new Guildmaster, kupos. Not as mean, not as dangerous, and not as big as Vaigalli, kupos, But still scary in his own, non-frightening way."

"Are you finished?" Said Keiss.

"Tell us, Guildmaster, what do you do all day?"

"Not this."

"Who would you plan on being your successor?"

"I don't plan on—"

"Do you think that Vaigali wanted you to be his successor?"

"He said—"

"Do you feel confident being the next Guildmaster? What do you do all day?"

Keiss laced his fingers together and was quiet.

"Do you enjoy being the Guildmaster? Do you enjoy buying and selling information? Do you—"

"Would you get out of here! Raitini!" Keiss called to the short-haired female Selkie. She and the twins came over.

"Hold on, wait a second! Let's not be rash, kupos…!"

*.*

"That's it, kupo?"

"That's it."

"What happened to our moogles, kupo?"

"We don't know. All we got back was the camera, kupo."


End file.
